


New Fang

by HydraRaptor



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Characters, Alya Saves The Day, Angst, Bad Decisions, Dad Plagg, Friends to Enemies, Gabe Hawkmoth, Gen, Good Intentions, Post Hawkmoth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-20 06:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9479066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HydraRaptor/pseuds/HydraRaptor
Summary: With Hawkmoth defeated, Paris is safe and Ladybug and Chat Noir can return to their normal lives.  They promised that with Hawkmoth's defeat they would return the Miraculouses and reveal to each other, but fate had other plans, namely ruining the life of one of the superheroes.Marinette lost nothing.Adrien lost everything.Everything, that is, except Chat Noir and Plagg, and he won't give up Plagg.  Not without a fight...





	1. The Fall of an Agreste

**Author's Note:**

> Got this idea at the end of my last story, and I have it all planned out for once!  
> ...not really but I know where it's gonna go and I gotta warn you now: there may or not be some death at the end (I'll put it in the archive warning once it's done)...  
> Now my only real threat is school...

Adrien's eighteenth birthday was a birthday he would always remember, but not because it was his eighteenth birthday.

He wouldn't remember it as the first birthday in countless years that his father had given him a gift himself, nor as the day where his best friend Nino threw him one of the biggest parties he'd seen, even managing to invite Ladybug, his celebrity crush.

He wouldn't remember it for the feeling of freedom as his father allowed him to find a new job if he so desired, nor for the kiss on his cheek that his Lady had given Chat Noir that evening on patrol because she was in a more cheerful mood than normal.

No, he would remember it as the day that Ladybug and Chat Noir saved Paris from the clutches of Hawkmoth, but also as the last happy day of his life.

* * *

On patrol that night, Ladybug and Chat Noir came across an akuma and decided to use a risky strategy in order to find Hawkmoth:  they pretended to fall unconscious, and the akuma, an annoyed bodybuilder, luckily decided to carry them back to Hawkmoth's lair rather than just try to remove their Miraculouses.  When they arrived, Ladybug snatched the akumatized object and purified it while Chat attacked Hawkmoth, who could barely hold him off.  When Ladybug joined in, her battle experience with Chat far outweighed Hawkmoth's experience, and they beat him quicker than any akuma previously.

Taking a yo-yo-wrapped Hawkmoth to the police station, they first made sure that Officer Roger knows who it is before removing his Miraculous, forcing him to detransform. The room went silent as Hawkmoth was replaced by Gabriel Agreste, who kept his composure.  Both Ladybug and Chat Noir remained silent, then with a mumble about agreeing to be a witness later, Chat Noir left, leaving Ladybug to question his father.

* * *

News spreads like wildfire.  By noon the next day, the entire country of France knew who Hawkmoth was.  By the end of the day, the entire world learned of the dastardly deeds of one Gabriel Agreste.

By the end of the second day, the _Gabriel_  fashion line lost all of its partners and sponsors, going bankrupt.  Gabriel's bank accounts were frozen, and he arrived in court. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and countless others acted as witnesses against Hawkmoth and his deeds.  Gabriel himself admitted Hawkmoth's actions were indeed his own and that he had accomplices in his home.

Nathalie Sancoeur was soon arrested after evidence from Gabriel confirmed that she not only knew about his identity but also aided in hiding it, scheduling fake meetings out of the city in order to create alibis for him.  The rest of the Agreste household was watched closely, especially Gabriel's son Adrien, who had testified against him in court.  Adrien had no knowledge of his identity, anyone could see that, but rage and fear often blinds people.

By the end of the third day, Adrien received his first death threat.  By the end of the week, he didn't bother to open his mail anymore, and nor could he once the bank decided that the Agreste mansion would be worth enough to close all of the debts created by the bankruptcy of the _Gabriel_  line.  And, because he had just turned eighteen, Adrien Agreste was left with nothing other than a suitcase with clothes that no one wanted, a bank account with only a thousand euros in it, and a ring that housed his closest friend.

* * *

Adrien was a cursed person, a leper to the world, someone that if you associated yourself with, then it had better be to hurt him and nothing else lest you become cursed too. No one wanted him around.  His classmates would leave the class if he entered, so he stopped going to school.  Chloé Bourgeois, his oldest friend, turned her nose up at him. Nino Lahiffe, his best friend, the person who would do anything for him and vice versa, stayed at arms length if they happened to pass each other on the streets where Adrien now lived.  He couldn't get a job, couldn't find anywhere that would let him spend the night, and could only buy food for him and Plagg if he wore a sweatshirt with a hood.

In short, Adrien's life was miserable.  The only time where he felt like anyone would even tolerate him was when he was Chat Noir, but even that had to come to a close.

Before they captured Hawkmoth, Ladybug and Chat Noir made two promises to each other:  that they would reveal their identities two weeks after they beat Hawkmoth and that they would return the Miraculouses to Master Fu when they revealed.  The promises gave them enough time to say their goodbyes to their kwami and would ensure the continued safekeeping of the Miraculouses until the next threat.

But now, standing on the roof above Fu's parlor, waiting for Ladybug, Adrien realized that he wouldn't be able to give Plagg up.  Plagg was his last true friend, the only being who loved him on both sides of the mask, and the only thing left from his previous life.  He knew he had to return the Miraculous, but he also knew he wouldn't be able to give it up.  So he came to the decision that he'd break those two promises he made to Ladybug, but before he could leave, she arrived.  She was nervous, but he knew what had to be done.

"Hey Chat, are you ready to do this?" Ladybug asked, rubbing her arm.

Looking out across the city, the word left his lips without his permission: "No."

Ladybug chuckled, "I know what you mean.  This is...frightening.  I hoped Tikki would stay, but you know what they say.  All good things-"

"I'm sorry, Ladybug, but I can't give Plagg up.  Not..not yet," Chat said, looking away from her.  "I won't tell you who I am either.  Maybe one day, but not today."

"Chat..." her voice was filled with worry and something else, like a warning.  "You've been acting odd ever since we captured Hawkmoth.  I know how close you must be with Plagg, but we have to return the Miraculouses.  Who knows what could happen otherwise?"

"Tell Master Fu I'll return it later.  You can hand yours in now if you want, but I just can't."

" _Minou_ , we promised that we'd return them.  Together.   _Detransformez-moi_."

Chat Noir closed his eyes, keeping them closed and remembering how far the edge of the building was from him.

"Look at me, Chat.  Look at me!"  He could hear her walk in front of him, but still his eyes remained shut.

A new voice spoke to him.  "Chat Noir, you must keep your promise.  I can sense your bond with Plagg is strong, but Hawkmoth is gone.  We're not needed here anymore."

"Tikki's right, Chat.  Please, just return the ring."  Chat remained quiet, but a tear threatened to escape his closed eyes.

"Fine.  Pleased to meet you, Chat Noir.  My name is-"  She was cut off as he pushed her to the side, counting his steps and jumping just before the edge of the building. Marinette watched his silhouette vanish from her position on the ground, mouth open.  "Tikki...what should we do?"

"I think we should talk to Master Fu first, see what he has to say."  Marinette nodded.  Ladybug jumped down from the roof a minute later, entering Fu's Massage Parlor a moment later.

* * *

Adrien discovered an underground metro station in southern Paris that was closed down a little under a week ago.  The only way to get in without bolt cutters required the skills of a certain superhero, which gave Adrien a place to stay where no one could go.  The dark halls of the subway tunnels made every noise he made reverberate, which meant that if anyone found out how to get in, he'd hear them.  They also made it sound like there was something else here besides him, filling up the tunnels with imaginary people to keep him company.

As Chat Noir entered the terminal he now called home, he detransformed and fell to his knees.  "I'm sorry for breaking my promise, Plagg, but I just can't lose you too," he said. Chat Noir didn't cry, but that doesn't mean that Adrien couldn't as the tears he hid from Ladybug found freedom on the tiled floor.  "I know I'm being selfish, but-"

He felt something warm and fuzzy press against his cheek.  "Kid, take all the time you need.  I'm not going anywhere until you're ready."

Adrien reached out to his suitcase and unzipped the suitcase, revealing it to be half filled with the all the Camembert that was left at his former home.  Taking out a container, he handed it to his kwami before pulling out a sheet to sleep on for the evening.

"I don't know how long my money will last," he said to Plagg, "so I just want you to know that I may end up having to...having to steal some food when I run out."

Plagg held the Camembert, staring at his Chosen.   _Half of that suitcase just for me...without a second thought._  He quietly ate half of the wheel, putting the rest back into the suitcase as Adrien tried to sleep.  Suddenly, he heard Wayzz communicating with him:   _Plagg? Are you there Plagg?_

_Yea, I'm here._

_Where are you?  Ladybug said Chat ran away and wouldn't let you go._

_He did, but you should know why he did._

_Where are you, Plagg?_

Plagg looked at Adrien, watching him try to sleep.   _I'm with my Chosen, and will remain with him until I want to leave._

_You know we must get the ring back; we have to protect you!_

_Wayzz, you don't know what this kid is going through.  You might think that you do, but you don't.  So I'm not leaving him until he's ready for me to leave._

_Plagg, Master is going to send Ladybug after him.  Do you really want that on top of everything else?  Just return to us and save him a manhunt._

Plagg couldn't believe it.  To send one after the other in malice?  But it was Master Fu, and he seemed determined, more so than usual.  Flying over to where Adrien lay down, he asked, "you still awake?"  Adrien's eyes opened, and he nodded slightly.  "Master Fu is going to make Ladybug try to get me from you.  Will you be able to fight her if you need to?"

"Fu would send Ladybug after me?" he asked, some fear in his eyes.  Plagg nodded, "but he's already vowed to never reveal your identities, so she'll be going after Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste."

Adrien lay back down, staring at the ceiling.  "There's no other way, is there?" he asked.

"No."

"Then, to protect you, I'll hurt Ladybug if, and only if, I need to," Adrien said, his voice echoing throughout the chilly room.

_Wayzz, you still there?_

_I'm here, Plagg._

_Then I have only one thing to say:  do your worst._

There was silence from Wayzz for a minute, then, finally:   _So be it.  Farewell, Plagg.  I hope that the next time I see you, you'll have learned when to quit while you still can._

It was several hours until Adrien fell asleep.  Plagg left a minute later, returning an hour later rolling a stolen sleeping bag towards his Chosen.

* * *

"What did he say," Marinette asked once Wayzz opened his eyes.  "Did he explain why Chat Noir took him away?" Tikki inquired.

In response, Wayzz flew to Master Fu's ear and whispered something to him.  Fu frowned, handing a cup of tea to the worried superhero in front of him.

"In giving you the Miraculous of Creation, I gave you a responsibility that no one as young as yourself should have.  Now that you've won the battle against Hawkmoth, you deserve peace.  But, unfortunately, I must ask you for another favor.  Chat Noir will not give up his Miraculous, so," Fu put down his cup of tea, "may I ask you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, to bring it back to me any way that you can."

Marinette gulped and Tikki gasped.  "I know I am asking far too much from you, but Chat Noir's Miraculous is no longer needed.  It must be returned so that I can keep it safe until a new threat emerges.  You may have to hurt him in order to get it, but it is for the greater good."

"Chat is abusing his kwami's powers right now," Marinette said.  "We both promised to return them, and he broke his promise.  I will return the Miraculous to you, Master Fu, but I don't want to hurt him.  Can you tell me anything that might help me?"

Tikki remained silent at her Chosen's decision as Fu spoke.  "I have sworn against revealing your identities, and that includes to each other.  I can say no more, unfortunately."

Marinette nodded.  "I'll return Chat's Miraculous to you, Master Fu."  _And figure out why Chat would turn evil..._

"Thank you Marinette.  I wish you luck on your mission," Fu said, bowing as she left.

 

 

 

 


	2. Murphy's Strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug finds Adrien Agreste in her search for Chat Noir, and learns just what his life has become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Murphy's Law, for those of you that don't know, is simply this: anything that can go wrong will.  
> But, at the end of the day, maybe Murphy will give Adrien a break.

Ladybug had made up her mind.  Before she would do anything, she would need an answer from her partner for the hardest question:  why?  Why had broken their promise? Why did he refuse to return the Miraculous of Destruction to Master Fu?  Why?

Unfortunately, none of these questions could be answered until she found him, and not knowing who he was behind the mask made it nearly impossible to find him.  She just had to be at the right place at the right time.  She looked at her yo-yo as she leaped from building to building, checking the Ladyblog to see if any news had come up about Chat's location.  She paused as she saw her partner's name appear on a new discussion board, stopping at the edge of the roof she was on to read it.  As she began reading the discussion, it quickly became apparent that it was nothing more than a new theory about his identity, another that pointed to some random civilian who had blonde hair and grey eyes that, according to the discussion, "could be made green with the right metamaterials covering his eyes."  Shaking her head, she closed her yo-yo and was ready to continue her search when she heard something crash from the alley below her.

Looking down, she saw a man in a black hoodie trying stand next to a knocked-down trashcan.  Surrounding him were three people who were kicking him, one hitting him with a bat.  "Hey," she shouted as she jumped down into the alley.  The three attackers turned and fled at the sight of her, screaming, "it's Ladybug! Run, guys!"  The man in the hoodie still lay on the ground, having curled up in a fetal position.  "Are you ok?  Do you need to go to a hospital?"  He flinched at her voice, a green eye peeking out at her.

"Adrien?  Is that you?" she asked, reaching out a hand to the curled figure.

After a moment of hesitation, he took her hand and she helped him up.  His lip was bleeding, but beyond that he seemed alright, if not a little dirty.  "Thank you for saving me, Ladybug," he said.  "Those assholes had been tagging me for a little bit, I was wondering when they'd do something."

"Well, they're gone for now.  Are you ok?" Ladybug asked.

Adrien laugh was harsh as he clutched his ribs.  "I'm as ok as I can be, LB.  Thanks for saving me, but I'd better get going."

"Are you sure?  The way you grabbed your ribs looked like you may need a doctor," Ladybug asked, concern in her voice.

"I've had worse," _t_ _echnically, Chat has died before, so I'm not lying_ , he thought.  "Besides, all I need is a good night's rest and I'll be fine."  Adrien started to walk out of the alley, but Ladybug followed him out.  "Well, I guess I'll walk you home then so you won't get attacked again," she said.

Knowing how stubborn she could be, Adrien just let her.  "So, why did those people attack you?" Ladybug asked.

"Who knows.  They were probably involved with my father's company before it collapsed, and since he's in jail, I'm the next best target," Adrien said.

"They'd attack you just because of your dad?"

Adrien sighed.  "Do you know what happened to me after you and Chat captured my father?"

Ladybug began to nod, then realized she didn't.  She had made sure to keep an eye on him the first couple days of court, both as Ladybug and Marinette, but had lost track of him once Gabriel was sent to jail.  Nino, Alya, and Marinette had all tried texting and calling him, but nothing ever worked.  Adrien had just disappeared off the face of the earth.

"Being tied to a terrorist hell-bent on attacking one of the most important cities in the world is a great way to be ostracized.  What few friends I had tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, but I could tell they were scared."  Reaching into his pocket, Adrien pulled out a cracked smart phone and pressed the lock button; nothing happened.  "My phone either died or broke shortly after my dad was sentenced, but I can't replace it yet, so even if they wanted to my friends couldn't contact me."

"Can I see your phone?" Ladybug asked.  He handed it over and she opened her yo-yo.  "Now, I've only ever purified akuma by doing this, but who knows?  Maybe it'll-"  The yo-yo opened up and Adrien's phone opened up.  With cat-like reflexes, Adrien reached out and caught it.  The screen was fixed, and after pushing the lock button, the phone turned on.

The screen lit up with dozens of messages, voicemails, missed calls, everything.  "Thank you, Ladybug.  If there's anything I can do for you.."

Ladybug took the phone and went to Adrien's contacts.  Creating a new one, she entered in her yo-yo's number under "LB."  "Actually, I do need some help," she said handing his phone back.  "I'm looking for Chat Noir.  We had a...falling out, and I need to talk to him.  If you see him, can you please just call or text me?  It's really important that I see him."

Adrien paused for a moment, then nodded.  "Ok, Ladybug."

"So that's one of your problems fixed.  What else is wrong?"

Adrien smiled.  "Thank you, but that's everything that I couldn't do by myself.  I really appreciate it, m...Ladybug."

Ladybug smiled back.  "So, where have you been staying?"

"Oh, just with a friend.  I'm fine, those guys won't me attack again.  Besides, aren't you looking for Chat?"

Ladybug bit her lip.  "I should be looking for him, but he can wait:  he wasn't attacked today by some random thugs."

Suddenly, a new alert appeared on Adrien's phone:  an update on the Ladyblog.  Opening it, a new video was posted of Chat Noir fighting a small group of people who were in the middle of a robbery.  Adrien recognized the footage from this morning, recognizing the three thugs who had gotten away and come across Adrien Agreste, thinking he'd have some money on him.

Ladybug looked over his shoulder and saw the scene play out on his phone.  "Where was this taken?" she asked.  "It looks like the bank by my school, but I don't remember what it's called."

Ladybug knew the bank well as it was the one her parents belonged to.  "I wish I could make sure you get home safely, but I need to find Chat," she said.  "Text me when your safe, please?"

Adrien nodded, and Ladybug took off, swinging across the streets to the bank.  Adrien opened his hoodie and looked in the pocket on the inside.  "Are you ok, Plagg?" he whispered.

"They couldn't hurt me if they tried.  Are you ok?"

"My ribs are just sore.  I hate to do this to you, but can we head back to the bank first?"

"Wanna talk to Ladybug?"  Adrien nodded.  "Then I think I have enough energy to get you there for a little while," Plagg said with a smile.

"Then Plagg, transformez-moi."

* * *

Alya was still at the bank interviewing people when Ladybug showed up.  As Ladybug looked around, Alya ran up to her, questions already forming in her mind.

"Ladybug! Ladybug!  A moment please?" she called out.  Ladybug waved to her, looking around before letting out a sigh.  Passing the police and flashing her journalist's badge, she walked up to Ladybug.  "Ladybug, do you have some time for questions?"

"It's a pleasure, Alya, but I'm actually looking for Chat Noir.  How's a rain check sound?"

"You're looking for Chat Noir?  Is this about Hawkmoth?" Alya inquired, pen and paper at the ready.

"No, this is a private matter.  I saw he was here this morning and thought it'd be a great place to start."

Alya nodded, her eyes flicking to the side of Ladybug's head.  With a whisper, she said, "if you're looking for him, he's on top of the building behind you trying to be sneaky."

Ladybug turned around, surveying the entire street trying not to look directly at him when she spotted him.  "Thanks, Alya.  I'll find you for that interview later, ok?"

"I have that recorded so if you don't show, I'll hold it against you," Alya said.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo up to the roof, pulling herself up to where Chat Noir was waiting.

"Hello, Ladybug," he said, leaning against a chimney.  "So, what brings you here?"

Ladybug sat down, taking a deep breath as she did.  "We need to talk, Chat.  About you...about me."

"I know Fu sent you after me in order to get this," Chat said, holding his hand up and presenting the ring, "but I'm not going to let you or anyone else have it.  Not yet."

"I know.  I just want to talk, nothing more," Ladybug said as she patted the ground next to her.  Chat slid down the chimney, sitting with his back against it and never taking his eyes off her.  "What do you want to talk about?"

Ladybug paused.   _This is it, Marinette, this is your moment to bring everything together_.  "I know you aren't ready to give up your Miraculous or reveal your identity to me. You also don't want to know who I am.  I just want to know why.  Once I know that, I can help you out."

"Why," Chat echoed.  "Why, why, why.  Such a simple word for such a complicated meaning.  I would give my Miraculous up if I could keep Plagg in a heartbeat.  I love being Chat Noir, but I know that I'm just abusing his powers right now.  But I can't let him go.  Not until I'm alright.

"I don't know who's behind your mask, and I don't want to know right now.  I fear that if I learn who's behind your mask, I'll have a real name and face to put my adoration to. And I can't do that until either I can keep Plagg or the time comes that I can return him to Fu.  And if you learn who I am behind this mask, you'll hurt as much as I do.  I know you, Ladybug, and I know that you'd bear my pain with me in a heartbeat, but I don't want you to regret your decisions, because when you regret your decisions, you make choices with clouded judgement."

"You say it'll cloud my judgement, but it won't cloud yours?" Ladybug asked, "you've already decided to break our promises to each other and to Master Fu.  Don't you think your judgement is clouded?"

Chat shook his head.  "I don't regret my decisions."

"None of them? You don't ever regret any of your decisions?  You never look back and wonder 'what if?'"

"Of course I do, but if you live your life asking yourself countless 'what-if's,' you're not living for now, you're living in the past.  So I do look back and wonder 'what if,' but I don't stay there."  Chat crossed his arms.

"So why don't you just give up the Miraculous to Fu directly and never look back?  What's stopping you?"

Chat shook his head.  "I already told you, I can't give up Plagg."

"And you think I want to give up Tikki?  You think that I'll be happy once Ladybug is gone?"

Chat paused, an uncomfortable silence filling the void.  "The next question I'm going to ask is personal, so please censor yourself where you can.  What did Hawkmoth's defeat mean to you?  What did it do to you?"

Ladybug sat up.  "It meant saving Paris.  And to me, personally?  I lost a friend that I didn't want to lose, a friend who did nothing wrong but was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I've worried about Adrien ever since we beat Hawkmoth."

Chat stood up.  "You worried about him so much that you only found him on accident while looking for me.  You've had three whole weeks that you could've been looking for him, but you only found him today." His voice had changed, growing deeper as he spoke.

Ladybug froze.  "How did you know I found him today?"

"Because, Ladybug, I have been keeping an eye on him ever since we took his father down.  Sure I lost a lot when Gabriel was taken down, but he lost everything.  Did you know that he has to hide when he goes out in public?  Did you know he's received countless threats against his life and his father's too?"  Chat's eyes narrowed, his pupils elongating like a cat's.  "Humans are so damn stupid.  They get attacked and then go after whatever they can to get revenge, even if what they're going after has nothing to do with it. His life is hell, Ladybug.  But through all of this, he's still good.  He's never attacked anyone, even in defense.  He's only taken food that was already thrown away, things too stale for anyone else to eat.  I've tried to help him as best as I can, but even I can't always be there for him."  Chat's eyes and voice began to return to normal.  "So, thank you for helping him today when I couldn't.  But, please, don't act like you lost something important to you if you haven't even tried to find him."

Chat shook his head, his eyes and voice completely normal now.  "Sorry, that was Plagg.  He's very...particular about Adrien.  I've grown to be a close friend of his these past few weeks, Plagg even more so.  Adrien's bad luck mixed with Plagg's?  Misery loves company, and he needs a friend."

"So you're keeping Plagg for Adrien's sake, keeping him as a friend for when you can't be a friend," Ladybug said.  "I respect that, but," she shook her head "if you were really his friend, then you wouldn't need Plagg to help him."  Ladybug stood up. "I'm only going to ask you this once:  please, just hand over the Miraculous.  I don't want to fight you if I don't have to."  She held out one hand, her other going to her yo-yo.

Chat smiled sadly, then walked over to her.  Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug, she froze.  He pulled away before she could return the hug and said, "it was a pleasure being your partner, Ladybug.  I wish things could've turned out differently, but what can I say?  I'm just a magnet for bad luck.  Maybe one day things will be better, but, until then-"  Ladybug's yo-yo whizzed and connected with a nearby tower, wrapping around it.  She swung away, not letting Chat finish his statement, not ready to say goodbye.

* * *

That night, Nino, Alya, and Marinette all received a message from Adrien.  The message was short, simple, but unnerving.

**Adrien:  Hey, it's Adrien, haven't had my phone for a while and not sure how long I'll have it now.  Times are tough, but I just wanted you guys to know I'm still alive. You guys were my closest friends, and I hope we can be again, but I understand if you don't feel the same.  Farewell.**

All three of the friends returned countless messages, asking countless questions about where he was, how he was, and, in Nino's case, multiple apologies about being rude to his best friend.

But, as luck would have it, Adrien never received those messages.  Turning off his phone after sending the message to conserve what little power he had, he couldn't receive the messages.  And while he and Plagg slept, Paris faced the coldest night on record, pipes across the city freezing and breaking.  The unlucky pair woke up cold and wet as water from a nearby broken pipe pooled around them.  Like cats finding out a cucumber was placed behind them, they tore off, moving beyond where the water could get them, shivering.

The damages weren't too severe, thankfully.  The pipe carried fresh water to a nearby apartment, so anything that was washed by it would be fine when it dried.  The only things damaged beyond repair were the empty Camembert boxes, a few pieces of Camembert left out by Plagg, and Adrien's phone.  With morning drawing near, Adrien decided to begin his search for a new home, making sure Plagg was warm inside his jacket.

* * *

Alya was up late, putting together a report for the next morning when a knock came from her window.  Looking up, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Ladybug's face from outside.  Running over to the window and opening it, Alya stood shocked as Ladybug pulled herself in.

"Ladybug?  What are you doing here so late?"

"I promised you an interview, and now I'm ready."

Jumping up and clearing the clothes piled on a chair, she sat down, finding a recorder to catch everything.  "Alright, alright..just sit here and, well, you know the drill."

Ladybug sat down on the chair, ready to answer.  Alya sat opposite of her, putting the recorder on the desk beside them.  "Alright, you ready?"

Ladybug nodded. "This is Alya Cesaire, investigative reporter-in-training, founder of the Ladyblog.  Tonight, I'm here with Ladybug herself, who has agreed to an interview."

"Hello, Ladyblog," Ladybug said, "or to wherever Alya sends this."

"So Ladybug, what are you and Chat Noir going to do now that Hawkmoth has been defeated?"

"Well, Chat and I were supposed to return the Miraculouses to the Guardian, a man who protects them.  The Butterfly Miraculous has already been returned, but ours still remain."

"Why haven't you returned your Miraculouses to this Guardian, then?  Is there some greater threat that we don't know about yet?"

"No, there's no threat.  Actually, I need your help, and the help of all Ladybloggers."  Ladybug shifted, uncomfortable in her seat.  "Chat and I have a disagreement.  The Miraculouses need to be returned to the Guardian so that he can keep them from falling into the wrong hands, like the Butterfly Miraculous did.  As I said, we were going to do it once Hawkmoth was defeated, but," she took a deep breath, "Chat refuses to give up his Miraculous.  He has told me multiple times that he wouldn't give it up until it's ready. The Guardian fears that he is going down the same road that Hawkmoth did.  And, after talking with him today, I can say that he is not going down the same road as Hawkmoth. Yet."

"You fear he might turn evil?  But Chat Noir has done nothing but protect Paris, like his thwarting of the bank robbery today."  Ladybug was Alya's favorite superhero, but Chat Noir was second.  Having one turn against the other was her worst nightmare.

Choosing her words carefully, Ladybug said, "if he does decide to be evil, then it won't be the same evil as Hawkmoth.  If Chat is evil, he'll do evil things, make it known he's evil. Which is why I need to get his Miraculous.  Minds are fragile and can be swayed easily; Chat is no exception.  Which is why the Guardian needs his ring back.  And it is why it's one of the reasons why I'm here.

"If anyone sees Chat Noir, please post where he is and where he is heading immediately on the Ladyblog.  Do not try to take the Miraculous yourself; I'll handle that.  Thank you, but that's all the time I have tonight."

Alya was shocked.  "Uh, um ok.  Thank you Ladybug, and, and I hope everything goes well.  This has been Alya Cesaire for the Ladyblog."

As Alya reached for the recorder, Ladybug dashed past her, jumping out the window into the night.  Alya turned to the window and stared, unsure if what she saw were tears or not.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were.  
> No, Plagg didn't take over Adrien and force himself, Adrien let him. Plagg could hide Adrien's identity much better than Adrien, so he let Plagg take over. I know it's not canon but Plagg's gotta show his love for Adrien somehow.  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	3. Tensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With tensions high and nowhere safe to turn, Chat Noir hopes an old friend might help him after his most recent fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick peak inside my head when it comes to writing for those of you who are interested.  
> First, I get inspired by a lyric from a song, a picture I see, a quote, whatever inspires me.  
> Second, I try to fit either Chat Noir or Ladybug into that inspiration just so I can reach that point.  
> Third, I frame a story that's somewhat believable (the important part) surrounding this incident/idea/quote/scenario.  
> And lastly, I begin to think of how to put it all together. I begin a chapter by having a summary of what I want to happen in my head (that changes from time to time to help fit what I write better) and begin. By the end of the chapter, everything kinda has just spilled out and I go back to edit, erasing things that don't fit right, fixing things for clarity, etc.  
> And that's how I write these.
> 
> I had no clue what I wanted to do for this chapter, and I'm committed to 4 chapters so I'm gonna do what I do best:  
> Wing it and hope for the best. Which is probably why you'll see this like 3-5 days after I've typed this up.

Paris was divided.

The day after Ladybug's late-night interview with Alya was posted to the Ladyblog, it was picked up by a local news network.  As more and more people heard Ladybug's warnings and request for help, a rift began to grow between Parisians.  Ladybug and Chat Noir were heroes, the saviors of Paris.  They had been partners for 3 years now, protecting Paris and it's denizens not only from Hawkmoth but from daily threats as well.

And now Ladybug is attacking Chat Noir, saying he may be the next Hawkmoth.  A rift began in Paris from that statement, a rift that made Alya unsure if she should have posted the video.  Half of Paris wanted Chat Noir captured, his Miraculous returned to Ladybug.  The other half wanted Chat Noir to stay, trusting that if he hadn't turned now, then he never would.  Worry was in everyone's mind, Chat's especially.

Adrien first overheard the interview while passing a group of people who were listening to it on one of their phones.  He heard enough that he could put the rest together, his spirit breaking.  Even though Ladybug was his enemy, this was a personal matter, not one for the entire city of Paris to know.  Plagg, who now rested on his head when his hood was up, spoke first.  "Listen, kid, I know how you must feel, but don't forget that Chat Noir is a hero, even if the city of Paris doesn't believe it.  Ladybug crossed a line with her interview; don't sink to her level and help her point."

Adrien's frown slowly disappeared as his spirit pulled itself together.  "Thank you, Plagg.  How do you always know what to say?"

"Because I'm 5000, and that's plenty of wisdom at your service."

He soon learned what the interview meant as Paris split, people taking sides and entire groups coming together to find Chat Noir for one purpose or another.  Multiple times he'd been tricked by people who claimed to be his friend only to try and turn him in to Ladybug, which led to long fights where neither of them really hurt the other. But for every person against him, there seemed to be someone who called him down to give him a thank you of sorts, from gift cards to meals, even offering solace and underground connections.  He turned down almost every offer, only taking food and gift cards when he and Plagg truly needed it.  The biggest shock to Chat Noir came from some of his closest friends.  Alya and Nino, who now lived together, found Chat Noir one night.  Although they were both devoted Ladybug fans, both Alya and Nino agreed that Ladybug went too far and that Alya should never have posted that interview, and both promising to help Chat Noir should he ever need it.  Once they said their thanks and goodbyes, they left.  A minute later, Chat saw Ladybug and feared that it was all a ruse, but Ladybug was quiet and instead, sat down, patting the spot next to her.  It was the last time that they sat together and talked.  She told him of her own doubts, how she wanted to apologize to Alya for making her try to force Paris against him only to hear their conversation with him.  How she absolutely hated fighting her best friend.  But, Ladybug had a duty, one that she couldn't turn down.  Before she left, she gave one final apology to Chat Noir and said goodbye.

As much as it pained Adrien to see Ladybug in pain, his life was still miserable as he moved from alley to alley, only staying in one place for a few days before his bad luck caused something to happen that forced him and Plagg to move again.  Looking for a new place to stay often caused Adrien's mind to wonder if what he was doing was right, if keeping Plagg was the right decision.  He'd once asked Plagg about it and Plagg simply answered that he wouldn't leave Adrien until he wanted to and there was nothing Adrien could do about it.  That answer satisfied Adrien, but with every new home, his suitcase slowly emptying of all cheese, and Plagg's occasional sicknesses that he claimed was just allergies, Adrien was unsure.  And with every new experience, his late nights talking with his last friend, and the kindness of occasional strangers who didn't recognize him, Adrien was sure that he made the right decision.

While looking for a new place to call their own one day, Adrien heard a woman scream from behind him.  Before he could turn, a gunshot echoed through the streets, a pained scream immediately following.  Diving into the nearest alley, Adrien checked to make sure no one was there before he transformed, Chat Noir jumping out of the alley.  Further up the street, a woman was crawling, her leg bleeding from a bullet wound.  Behind her, a man was shouting about a worm, firing his gun in all directions.  As Chat ran towards the man, he heard his name shouted by people running in the opposite direction, drawing the gunman's attention.  "The Worm will come!  It will come and you will be devoured," he shouted as he leveled the gun on Chat, "the Worm will feast!"  Instead of a gunshot, Chat heard a click.

Chat took this opportunity to close the distance between him and the man, tackling him to the ground and knocking the gun from his hand.  "The Worm has deemed you worthy just as It has deemed me worthy to be It's vessel!"

"Chat Noir, wait!"  Turning, Chat saw the woman who's leg had been shot crawling to him.  "Please, don't hurt him," she said, "he's not going to hurt anyone else."

The man had quieted down, his shouts about the Worm becoming mumbles.  "How do you know?" Chat asked.

"I'm his doctor, Dr. Lehr.  That man is Rudolph Baurer.  He has schizophrenia and wandered off when his guardian wasn't looking.  I don't know how he got his hands on a gun but without it he can't hurt anyone.  Please, Chat Noir."

Looking down at Rudolph, Chat sighed and stood up, keeping a hold on Rudolph's arm so he couldn't flee.  "Where is his guardian?"

"Rudolph!  Are you ok?"  Several men dressed in white came around the corner, running to Chat and Rudolph.  "Chat Noir!  Dr. Lehr, you've been shot!"

"Rudolph had an episode," the doctor explained, "and Chat Noir stopped him from hurting anyone else besides me."  As Chat handed Rudolph over to the men in white, the doctor tried to stand up.  Chat ran over and helped her stand, letting her use him as a crutch.  Suddenly, sirens blared as several cop cars rounded the corner, police getting out, hands on their pistols.  Officer Raincomprix got out of his car and called out, "everyone, hands up!  You too, Chat Noir!"

"Officers, this is my fault," Dr. Lehr said, "I am a psychiatrist at-"

A yo-yo whizzed from above, wrapping around Chat Noir and pulling him out of the circle of police and causing Dr. Lehr to fall.  Chat landed hard on the roof, the breath knocked out of him.  He felt something jump on him, going for his hand.  Swinging a fist to the mass on top of him, he connected with Ladybug's face, knocking her off him. They both jumped to their feet, fists raised ready to fight.

"You don't want to do this, Ladybug," Chat warned for the umpteenth time as he did at the start of each of their battles.

"Then please just hand over your Miraculous," Ladybug replied, almost as well-rehearsed as his statement.

She attacked first, swinging her yo-yo in an attempt to wrap him up.  His response was a swing of his baton that threw off the trajectory of the shot, sending her yo-yo harmlessly to the side.  Extending his baton into a staff, Chat charged Ladybug, swinging his staff low and missing as Ladybug leapt backwards, retracting her weapon. With a whip of her wrist, the yo-yo shot past Chat Noir, wrapping around a chimney pipe.  Using her powers to shorten the length of the string, Ladybug pulled her legs up and catapulted herself into Chat, knocking his staff to the side.  Getting up, both Chat Noir and Ladybug began to attack, and, with close-quarters-combat as his specialty, the battle began to shift in Chat's favor.  Every attempt Ladybug made to use her weapon was turned into a block as Chat jabbed and kicked, silent as each hit sent Ladybug a step back.  As a last ditch effort, Ladybug ducked low and grabbed Chat's waist, picking him up and running him into the chimney.  The impact shocked them both, and Ladybug's foot slipped.  She kept her hold on Chat as she slipped off of the building, only letting go when she realized they fell together.  As she fell, she closed her eyes and braced for impact, feeling Chat wrap his arms around her a moment before they hit the ground in the alleyway, a solid thump in both their ears.

When Ladybug opened her eyes, she saw Chat's eyes tightly shut, the ground behind him rather than the sky:  at the last moment, he grabbed her and flipped them around, letting her crash onto him.  She stood up, nearly falling back down as her leg almost gave out under her.  A shuddering breath came from Chat that carried a pained groan and she turned to him, asking the question she had asked him so many times before, "Why?  Why did you save me?"

Chat remained lying on the ground, eyes still shut.  "I promised...to protect Paris...and all...who live here...that includes...you," he said with each breath.  He finally opened his eyes and tried to sit up, falling back down with a cry of pain.  Ladybug watched as he tried again, watching as he sat up, stood up, nearly collapsed, pulled himself back up, and raised his fists after wiping a bit of blood that made its way out his nose.  "But I will also...hurt you if you...try to take this away..."

Ladybug raised her hands in surrender, lowering her head.  Without a word, she turned away, and walked out of the alley they landed in, throwing her yo-yo to pull herself somewhere to detransform.  Finding another alley a few blocks away, Marinette limped out as Tikki munched on a cookie in her tote, both silent.  Silence had become a common occurrence between them, both knowing that they were together on borrowed time.  As Marinette walked home, a hand from the shadows reached out and pulled her in, throwing her to the ground of yet another alley as she let out a yelp.  Looking up, a man stood over her, knife in hand.  "You're gonna hand over that bag and any money you got on you, bitch, and you're not gonna make a noise, you got that?" the mugger said.  Marinette instinctively let out a kick using the leg she hurt in the fall, crying out in pain as she connected with the mugger.  Standing up and trying to get away, Marinette limped deeper into the alley, hoping for some back way out only to find a wall.

"Oh, you sneaky bitch.  I was gonna let you go without a scratch, but now I'm gonna carve that pretty little face of yours up before I even think about letting you go," the mugger said, walking after her and tossing his knife from hand to hand.  "In fact, you'll be lucky to get out of this alley alive, little lady."

As the mugger lunged at Marinette, a shadow dropped down and grabbed the mugger's hand, a snap echoing through the alley a moment later.  The mugger cried in pain, holding his newly broken arm and turned to his new assailant:  Chat Noir.  Chat moved in front of Marinette, blocking her from the mugger.  "If you want to practice your surgery skills, I'm sure that arm is going to need it," he said as Marinette stared at the back of her ex-partner, particularly at the pieces of glass that stuck out of several long fresh cuts.  The mugger ran away and, as soon as he was out of the alley, Chat slowly sat down, back still facing Marinette.  "I don't care who's side you're on, my possible Princess, but can you please tell me how bad the damages are?"

"Chat, what happened?"

"Just took a tumble off a building onto a bottle.  So, it's bad?"

Marinette covered her mouth, realizing that she could've been the one with glass in her back if he hadn't saved her.  "That bad, huh," Chat asked before reaching around and yanking the first piece his hand came across out with a grunt.  As fresh blood began to come out, Marinette ran around Chat Noir and out the alley, ignoring the pain in her leg.

* * *

After Plagg finished removing the last of the glass, Adrien knew he needed stitches.  He also knew he didn't have the money for a hospital visit nor the insurance, so Chat Noir found himself outside the apartment of the people he trusted the most.  With his suitcase on the fire escape right outside the window, Chat knocked on the pane, hoping they were home.  A moment later, the window opened.

"Chat Noir?" came the incredulous voice of Alya, "what are you doing here?"

"I need help.  May I come in?"

Alya stepped aside, allowing Chat to come in.  She pulled in his suitcase as Nino walked into their living room, standing at the doorway staring at Chat.

"Marinette wouldn't happen to be here, would she?" Chat asked Alya, who shook her head.

"Dammit; how's your needlework?"

"What's wrong Chat?" Nino asked, "got a tear in your-HOLY SHIT!"

Chat had turned around to show both Alya and Nino the bleeding wounds on his back and, from Nino's tone and language choice, it was worse than Plagg said.

"Chat, you need to get to a hospital," Alya said.

"Don't have the money for it," he replied, gesturing to his suitcase.

"Shit, Chat, that's pretty bad," Nino said as he got closer, "you sure you'll be ok without the hospital?"

"I just need it stitched up and disinfected," he said, "a needle, thread, and some hydrogen peroxide, or alcohol, or something.  And, someone to stitch it up since I can't reach it. I was going to ask Marinette, but she ran away before I could."

Alya looked closely at Chat's wounds.  "I can stitch it up; I took several first-aid courses just in case.  Nino, go get the first aid kit, my sewing kit, and the peroxide.  Chat, I need you to take off your...whatever you call your top."

Chat unzipped his top with little difficulty, but found it difficult to take it off without excruciating pain.  "I think there's still some glass in there," he said through clenched teeth. Alya helped him take off his top as Nino came back with everything.  Using her phone's flashlight, Alya looked at each of the cuts.  Nino handed her a rag and took the light.  As Alya took a pair of tweezers out to get any remaining glass out, she distracted Chat with questions.  "So, how did this even happen?"

"Ladybug found me and we fought as usual-ow!  The fight ended with us falling off of a building, me angling it so that she landed on top.  With my luck, I landed on some bottle or something and that happened."  Chat grimaced as Alya yanked a larger piece of glass out from him.  "Ok that seems to be the last piece; I'm gonna begin stitching you up now; this'll hurt like a mother," she warned.

"Uh, you mentioned Marinette earlier," Nino said as the curved needle entered Chat's lower back, eliciting a grunt, "did you see her or something?"

"Goddammit that needle suck," Chat whispered.  "Yeah, I saved her from a mugger and, in doing so, broke said mugger's arm," he grunted.  "Marinette saw my back and fled, though. Maybe she's afraid of blood, maybe muggers.  Maybe me."

"Is she ok?" Chat nodded.  "A broken arm is nothing compared to what I would've done to him.  He would've needed stitches and a transfusion by the time I was done with him," Alya said.

"Speaking of which," said Alya, wiping some blood to clear her vision, "you better not have anything bloodborne or I'll kill you before it does," Alya said as she finished stitching the first cut up.

"As far as I know I'm clean," Chat said, some worry in his voice.

"Relax, Chat," Alya said.  "I was just kidding; gotta take your mind off the pain somehow.  By the way, you got a place to stay or is that suitcase just for show?"

Chat could feel himself blush and he sighed.  "To be honest with you guys, I had some...investment with...Gabriel Agreste.  OW!"

"Sorry, hand slipped."

"Anyway, I lost a lot and now I'm living wherever I can."

Nino gently lay his hand on Chat's shoulder.  "We have a spare bedroom here with a locking door for when the parents visit; they think Alya sleeps there.  You're free to spend the night there if Alya doesn't mind."

"I don't mind at all, Chat.  And if you need anything-"

"No, a place to sleep is more than enough.  Just, please knock and wait if you need to get in.  I'm not Chat Noir 24/7."

As Alya finished up the second and third cuts, only one remained:  the longest one.

"Hey Nino, can you order up some takeout for the three of us tonight?" Alya asked.  "You allergic to anything, Chat?"

"No, you don't have to do that for me.  I have some things packed away to eat."

"Chat Noir, you are a guest at our apartment.  If Alya says you're eating take-out with us, you're eating takeout with us."

Chat smiled at his friends.   _Would they still feel that way if they knew who I was?_ Chat shook his head.  "Just get me whatever; beggars aren't choosers."

Suddenly, his ring beeped and everyone in the room froze.  Chat gulped.  "I knew this would happen sooner or later; Plagg can only go so long with a little bit of cheese. I'm sorry, but I can't let you know who I am; the last cut will have to wait until Plagg-"

His vision went black suddenly as a shirt landed on top of his head, covering his face completely.  "This last cut is still bleeding profusely, and with how white you were when you got here I don't know if you'll be able to be awake much longer," Alya said.  "We won't look under that shirt and you don't need to speak if being Chat Noir somehow changes your voice.  As long as whatever the plug you were talking about doesn't say your name, you'll be safe."

"Thank you, Alya and Nino.  I can never repay you.  And it's Plagg, not a plug.  He's what gives me power and is himself powered by cheese."

After a quick detransformation, the no-longer Chat Noir fell forward unconscious as a black floating cat appeared.  "I feared this might happen; you're Alya and Nino, right? I'm Plagg and don't worry, Chat is alright; bleeding for hours will cause anyone to pass out eventually."  Plagg saw the stitches and turned to Alya.  "You're doing great, although might I suggest pulling this last cut together tighter when you stitch it?  Otherwise it'll leave more of a wound that can get infected."

Coming back to her senses, Alya nodded and took the floating cat's advice.  Nino, having recovered as well, asked, "so, Plagg, want anything from takeout?"

"Just something with cheese I don't care what."  Floating over to the covered head, Plagg partially phased through it to check on Adrien.  Then, flying around, he stopped at the cuts, looking them over once more and watching Alya slowly suture the wound shut.  "You're doing great, kid, you're doing great..."

By the time Alya had disinfected and dressed the wounds, the takeout had arrived and Plagg refused to let either Alya or Nino wake Adrien up, saying, "he's had a tough day; just let him sleep for a little longer."

Plagg finally let them wake him an hour later, waking him gently so that his makeshift mask remained on, Plagg leading him to the spare room with the takeout for the night. With a final thank you from both Chat Noir and Plagg, the door shut, leaving a very flustered and somewhat excited Alya and Nino to wonder what will happen.

* * *

Marinette spent much of her time at Master Fu's when she wasn't out searching for Chat or designing for her courses.  Tonight, she sat opposite of Master Fu as they talked, Marinette's doubt resurfacing once more.

"Chat beat you today?" Fu asked, concern in his voice, "or did you not find him again?"

"He beat me by being a better person," Marinette responded.  She then told Fu everything about their battle and how, when she was mugged, Chat still attacked even though he was in pain and bleeding from his back.

Master Fu stroked his beard and sipped at his tea.  "I understand your doubt at trying to take Chat Noir's Miraculous, but I wish to warn you:  all it will take to turn Chat Noir evil is one accident; one stroke of bad luck that lets him see how powerful he truly is.  Once he sees that, he will be corrupted and turn against the world."

"And what if I'm the reason that happens?  What if what we're doing causes that to happen?" Marinette asked, voicing the concerns that circled her head.  "Wouldn't it be better to just let Chat keep the Miraculous until he is ready with you keeping track of him?"

Fu shook his head.  "As long as you are around to fight him, Chat Noir will never turn evil; anything he does you can undo.  But if you leave, then what he does will become permanent, he will be corrupted, and no one may be able to stop him.  Which leads us to this:  I have an idea that I did not wish to use.  But, seeing as you cannot best him, this may be the only way to convince him to give up the ring.  It will require a great deal from you, though."

Marinette sat up straight, ready to do whatever was needed to help Chat give up the Miraculous peacefully.  "What is the plan, Master?"

As Master Fu explained the plan, Marinette immediately refused.  She objected and protested his idea vehemently.  But as she thought about it more and more, she realized that it would be the end of Chat Noir no matter what happened or how far along in the plans she had to go.  And, once Master Fu finished, Marinette agreed to the plan, dreading what she had to do.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, the crazy guy shouting about a worm is a Fallout 3 reference (the Worm Priest I think is his name). No worms will come to devour Paris...  
> Also Dr. Lehr is no one as far as I know; just a name I chose.  
> Disclaimer: I do not know if what Alya did to stitch up Chat would work well in real life as I have not taken several first-aid courses (regrettably), so forgive me for any medical errors.  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	4. The Fall of an Agreste, Part 2

Alya stormed out of her room, scaring Nino who was at the computer in their living room.  "I can't fucking believe it," she kept mumbled to herself as she walked over to the guest room, "that motherfucker."  Nino shot up and grabbed her hand before she had time to break the door down, and he was glad that looks couldn't kill.  "Alya, Chat's still sleeping," he said.

Alya barked out a laugh and pulled her phone out, showing a headline from that morning that read, " **CHAT NOIR EVIL?** " with the front page showing several of Paris' monuments partially destroyed and the Eiffel Tower on it's side.  Nino took the phone and read through the article, confused.  According to the article, Chat Noir went on a rampage overnight, starting sometime around midnight.  Ladybug had yet to show and fix everything, implying that they fought and fought hard.  But something wasn't right.

"Alya, Chat Noir couldn't have done any of that," Nino said.

"What do you mean?  This damage has Chat Noir written all over it."  Flipping through several pictures, scratches could be seen on L'Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and even the entrance to the Louvre.  "I've followed both of those heroes for three years; I know Chat Noir damage when I see it."

Suddenly, it clicked.  "Alya, the guest room is an interior room, right?"

"Yea, so?"

"There's no window in there.  So the only way Chat Noir could've gotten out was by the door."

"So he snuck out; why does that mean he didn't do this?"

"I spent all night working on one of my projects," Nino said, pointing to his computer.  From where the computer was seated, Nino could see the entire room, the guest room door included.  "No one came out of that door the entire night."

Alya paused in thought.  "But if Chat didn't do it, who did?"  Her eyes went wide.  "There must be some hidden akuma that Hawkmoth created before he was jailed just in case he was figured out!  Now it's using the fight between Chat and Ladybug to get the Miraculouses!"

As Alya began searching for more evidence to support her theory, Nino turned the TV on, flipping to the news.  On it, a reporter was standing in front of the fallen Eiffel Tower, saying, "I have just received news that Chat Noir is now wanted for the following charges:  terrorizing the city of Paris, destruction of property, and the robbery of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who came forward to police late last night to report the theft of her wallet after Chat Noir saved her from a mugger, claiming it as compensation for her protection, before disappearing into the night to wreak havoc on the rest of the city."

At the name of their friend, both Alya and Nino dropped the phone and remote in their hands in shock.  The guest room door creaked open, Chat Noir stiffly walking out of it before freezing at the sight on the television.  Alya turned to him enraged.  "'Saved her from a mugger then she ran away,' huh?"

"Alya, isn't it a little suspicious-"

"What did Marinette ever do to you?  Or have you been forcing 'compensation' from everyone you save?" Alya said as she jabbed at Chat with her finger.

"Alya, stop!" Nino said.  She turned around to face him, her eyes throwing daggers.   "Do you really think Chat would rob Marinette?  Or anyone for that manner?" he asked.

"What happened to Paris?"  Chat's voice could barely be heard, but somehow it calmed Alya down.  "An akuma, I think.  Some last resort by Hawkmoth, probably," she said, showing him her phone.  Chat swiped through the pictures, stopping occasionally to zoom in and focus on some scratches.  From the TV, the camera moved off the reporter, showing a loveliness of ladybugs swoop across the Eiffel Tower, picking it back up and fixing it before moving on to other damaged parts of Paris.  "It seems like Ladybug is fixing Paris once again; hopefully she can shed some light on the situation."

"How could she?" Chat asked.  "Fixing Paris is what Ladybug does best; you should know that better than anyone Chat," Alya said.

Chat just shook his head.  "I have to go.  She...I have to-" Alya stepped in front of him, blocking off his route out.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain what's going on," she said.

"Alya and Nino, thank you for letting me stay the night here.  I'll be back for my things later.  And Alya, please don't follow me."  Chat walked past her and Nino too, when he tried stopping him.  Opening the window and stepping out, he jumped to the roof.  The sky was grey and threatened rain, but Adrien needed to be sure.

* * *

 

Jumping from roof to roof as he circled Paris, Chat could hear people scream in terror at the sight of him.  The screams of terror soon turned into jeers and insults, nothing new to Adrien.  Finally, Chat arrived at the Eiffel Tower, hoping to see Ladybug somewhere nearby.   _Well_ , he thought,  _if I can't find her, I'm sure the people down there make sure she finds me._  Looking down, Chat saw dozens of people forming a semi-circle around him, phones out and recording or typing.  Jumping down into the space provided by the ring of people, Chat winced at the stitches in his back and scanned the buildings, hoping that being on the ground might show Ladybug that he needed to talk, not fight.

Here I will take a pause and explain how a thing called "mob mentality" works.  Humans, as a social species, tend to stick together in groups, which can be based on many commonalities like a close group of friends has or something as simple as a single thought, such as "Chat Noir is evil."  These kinds of groups can create an aura of conforming that entices all inside of it to do what everyone else is doing.  Studies show that 3 people who have the same thought can affect one person to the same extent that 16 people can, effectively forcing that person to conform and say or do things that they normally would not do, such as surrounding a powered hero who has fought the entire police force before solely by dancing.  In large numbers, one can become anonymous and, because one feels like they can't be credited if they do something such as throw a rock at a person who they hated and was injured, they will not be blamed.  Instead, the surrounding people will not know who threw the first rock, or the second, third, and fourth rocks. So as the rocks flew at Chat Noir, striking him again and again as he struggled to dodge and block the incoming rocks, the mob surrounding him were encouraged to throw harder as the hero refused to fight back.

It wasn't until a rock struck above his left eye and blood began to blind him that Chat finally decided to flee rather than face the oncoming rocks.  Extending his staff to vault over the growing mob, Chat ran to the nearest building, scaling it in moments, his back screaming at him to stop.  As he wiped the blood out of his eye, he saw another speck of red coming towards him.  The cheers of "Ladybug" coming from the mob below confirmed his thoughts as the speck took shape, Ladybug arriving a moment later, yo-yo already swinging at him.  Chat barely had time to react, the yo-yo circling his baton, pulling it out from his hands, and sending it flying.  "Ladybug, we need to talk," Chat said as he raised his hands in surrender.  Her response was another swing from the yo-yo that wrapped around his center.  With a tug, Chat found himself flying through the air and onto a large building bordering the Seine.  The roof was flat, thankfully keeping him from rolling off the edge and into the depths below.  As Chat stood, he felt the first raindrop fall, hitting him a moment before Ladybug did.  He slid across the roof, slamming into the roof access door.  A moment later he ducked and dodged another blow from Ladybug's yo-yo.  His stitches were once more screaming at him, but he pushed the pain aside as he dodged attack after attack from Ladybug, getting closer and closer.

"Ladybug, what the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, diving forward to dodge the yo-yo, "I need to talk to you right now, not fight!"

Ladybug remained silent, swinging her yo-yo to follow up her last attack.  After dodging the next swing, Chat leaped at Ladybug, tackling her to the ground.  "LADYBUG! WILL YOU PLEASE STOP FOR JUST A M-"  Her balled fist made contact with his lower back, landing right on the stitches.  Adrien's pain was excruciating and he cried out in pain, rolling off her.  As he stood back up, she attacked.  Between the blood in his eye and the pain blinding him, Chat could barely keep up with Ladybug.  With each hit, kick, chop, slam, and punch, Adrien could feel his stamina draining.  The rain came down harder, and soon Ladybug began to show signs of fading, her punches occasionally missing or sliding, her kicks weakening.  Finally, the blows stopped coming all together.  Chat took a step back, lightening illuminating Ladybug in front of him.  "Ladybug, we need to talk. If you'll just please listen-"  She walked over to him and stood inches away from him.

It doesn't matter how hard it can be raining, when two people are as close as Ladybug and Chat Noir had once been, one can always tell when the other has been crying.

And Chat, staring at his former partner, saw the tears that the rain could never hide.  He wondered if she could see his in this rain as well.

"I'm sorry," she said.  Suddenly, she stepped forward and spun around, her leg coming up and out.  Chat Noir could have dodged it any other time, but Ladybug crying had some effect on him that nothing else did.  He never moved as the foot came around, completing the roundhouse as it connected with that spot on his back.  As she spun around once more, performing another flawless roundhouse into the same spot, he didn't even scream.  He wouldn't allow it.

The third time around, he finally let her send him away, sliding across the roof as thunder echoed around them.  The ledge stopped him from falling off the roof, but just barely.

As Ladybug approached, Chat waited.  As she picked up his hand and reached for his ring, he made his move.  With a leap and a surprise left hook, it was Ladybug's turn to hit the roof.  As she jumped up, Ladybug's hand shot to her waist to grab her yo-yo but found nothing.  Across the roof, Chat swung it around before releasing it, letting it lazily fly over the Seine.  Chat slowly made his way over to Ladybug, arm wrapped around his injured side.  Ladybug ran to him, swinging her arm overhead as she jumped, bringing it down with her landing to where she swore Chat had just been.  She felt a leg sweep her own, then a push on her upper back causing her to flip and land on her back. Before she knew it, he straddled her, his hand poised.

She didn't need to hear his voice to know he was enraged.  His eyes did that for him.

Nor did she need to know what he said that the rain blocked out.  The black ball that formed in his hand told her.

Chat Noir and Ladybug stayed in that position for several seconds before Chat closed his hand, canceling out the Cataclysm.  As he stood up, the rain began to die down, quiet enough now that she could hear him.  "You've done it.  I nearly killed you because of what you did.  You won."

Chat stood a few feet away from Ladybug, staring out over Paris.  As Chat turned around to face Ladybug, lightning crashed.  In the light, he saw the door to the roof peeking open, a familiar brown-haired reporter recording everything.  Ladybug remained oblivious, back turned as she stood up.

"You know, I'd always wondered how far you and the Guardian would go to get the Miraculous back," Chat said.  "But destroying Paris?  Forcing Marinette to lie?  I never thought you'd sink so low."

"How did you-"

"You forget, Ladybug, how long we've worked together.  I've seen what that yo-yo can do when you swing it at max speed.  Cutting stone to make it look like claw marks was easy, but destroying monuments?  I can't even do that without Cataclysm.  But swing that yo-yo as fast as you can and you can cut through the legs of the Eiffel Tower."

"I didn't want to do it, Chat, but you left us no other options."

"And what about Marinette?  Did you pay her a visit and force her to lie to police to help turn Paris against me?"

Ladybug remained silent, looking to the ground instead.

"All you had to do was use your Miraculous Ladybug before anyone looked too closely, and boom:  Chat Noir evil, Ladybug good, clear as day.  And to think, there was a time where I respected you."

She flinched at that comment, her head shooting up to face him.  "And what about you?  You know the Miraculous needs to be returned in order to keep it safe, and yet you vainly kept it so that you could continue playing Chat Noir."

"I have my reasons for keeping the Chat Miraculous, and they're not for evil like he says."

"Says the one who just nearly killed me."

"YOU PUSHED ME TO THAT POSITION!  Tell, me, Ladybug, in the three years that we've known each other, have I ever, EVER done anything that made you question which side I was on?  In those three years, was there ever a moment where your trust in me was tested?  Where you weren't 100% positive that I was a good guy?  What makes you think that would change now?"

"But Master-"

"He may have given us the Miraculouses, but that doesn't mean he knows us as much as we know each other.  So why did you doubt me?  Why did you take his side when he would have trusted you if you had just said, 'give Chat some extra time, please?'"

Ladybug's mouth opened, then shut.  "Alya, can you please come out," he called out.  Ladybug whirled around, her eyes finding the curious reporter as the door opened.

Alya's phone was still pointed at the scene, but her eyes were stuck on Ladybug.

"Alya, I want you to please delete that video.  As far as Paris is concerned, Chat Noir turned evil and attacked.  Ladybug fought him and won."

"Chat, what are you saying?" she asked.  "This video proves that you've done nothing wrong.  It'll finally prove to all of the world that you're-"

Chat shook his head.  "I know you recorded at least the end of the fight.  You saw me almost kill Ladybug.  How is that not wrong?"

"But you didn't kill her," Alya said, "after all she's done, after all the dirty attacks, you had an opportunity to end it and refused.  She's the bad guy here, not you."

"Please, Alya."

Alya stepped back, shaking her head vigorously, and Chat walked over to the ledge, looking out over Paris.  "Chat," Ladybug said, "it's time to give me the ring."

She halved the distance between them before stopping and holding out her hand.

"When we captured Hawkmoth, I lost everything.  Family, friends, home.  Everything.  Plagg was the only thing that remained, and with him, Chat Noir.  I hoped you would too, Ladybug.  And when you turned against me, I at least had Paris to help.  But now, you've turned that against me too.  Chat Noir was an escape for me, something that let me be me. But now you've turned it into a monster, another akuma to get rid of.  I hope you have a good life, Ladybug.  I really do."  Chat turned around.  "And I wish you, Nino, and I could've been better friends, Alya, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen anytime soon."

"Chat, this footage will clear your name; we can be friends!"

Chat just shook his head.  "Giving up Plagg means giving everything up.  He's the only thing that's kept me going these past few months.  But, I guess it's time. Plagg,  _detransformez-moi_."  In a bright green flash, Chat Noir disappeared, replaced by a bruised and bleeding Adrien Agreste.  Ladybug and Alya remained speechless.

Adrien pulled Plagg close and hugged him, holding him tight.  After a moment, Adrien took the ring off and Plagg vanished.  "Today, Chat Noir died," he said.

Instead of giving Ladybug the ring though, Adrien pulled out a string on his neck, quickly fastening the ring to it.  Looking directly at Ladybug, he pleaded, "please don't blame yourself."

Raising his arms to form a cross, he let himself fall backwards off the building.  Ladybug rushed to the edge in time to see him hit the Seine, disappearing beneath the water. She jumped over the ledge, landing in the water a moment later.  For hours, Ladybug swam through the Seine, diving deep to find Adrien to no avail.  Adrien was gone, and with him, Chat Noir.

* * *

Against Chat's wishes, Alya posted the full, uncut video on the Ladyblog, the last post that she would ever make to it.  Titled simply, "The Death of Chat Noir," it was viewed worldwide.  Ladybug suffered a terrible backlash as her confessions proved her as the culprit in destroying Paris in order to frame Chat Noir, but Ladybug was never seen again after the video:  Marinette returned her Miraculouses to Master Fu without a word, leaving his parlor for the last time immediately after.

The revelation that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, the son of the villain he helped put away, also left Paris in shock.  The cursed child that everyone avoided was the hero that saved them all, and Paris mourned.  The police searched for days for a body, but the Seine had claimed people before, never to be seen again.  Adrien Agreste joined that list.

Marinette never told anyone about her secret identity, so when she locked herself away for a week in mourning, everyone thought it was because of her crush on him.  When Alya and Nino finally asked her about her claim against Chat Noir and Ladybug, she used Ladybug as a scapegoat, saying Ladybug threatened to hurt her if she didn't do what she said.  Across Paris, similar stories popped up where people had claimed to see Ladybug destroying the city but were either threatened or bribed to keep quiet.  Soon, the statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir was torn down, replaced by a statue solely of Chat Noir.  The inscription read:

**Adrien "Chat Noir" Agreste**

**A true hero who will live forever in our hearts**

Shortly after the statue's unveiling, a new charity opened, inspired by Chat Noir:  Everyday Heroes, a charity who helped anyone in need, providing shelter for the homeless, aid for the poor, and protection for the everyday person.  Although he had died, his memory would live forever in Paris.

* * *

It took two years for Marinette to forgive herself for driving Chat to suicide, but she knew her nightmares would never go away.  She threw herself into her work, focusing on designing and fashion, ignoring any references to the  _Gabriel_ line or anything related to the Agreste name.  Everyone knew she had been close friends with Adrien, so they avoided mentioning anything.  And when the anniversary of his death came around, one of her teachers suggested getting out of the city for a day or two, but Marinette was stubborn.  So the teacher suggested an upcoming study-abroad program:  for a semester, she could study in an American fashion school.  She agreed it would be for the best and signed up for it.

The American college Marinette attended was small, and she found herself surrounded by Chloé's and their Sabrina's, so she spent the majority of her free time alone and studying.  One day, she heard about a tiny diner located just off-campus where some of the students went to study.  Deciding to check it out herself, she was pleased to see that it was styled after a French café and even claimed to have some French food.  When she arrived, a man appeared, saying " _bonjour, madamoiselle_ , and welcome to Le Café," in a terribly fake French accent.  "Just you today?"

"Yes, I've heard good things about this place, so I thought I'd try it out," Marinette said with a giggle, smiling when the man realized she was actually French.  Dropping the accent, he said, "I'm so sorry for that terrible accent, ma'am.  Please, follow me."  He led her to a seat and handed her a menu, promising her server would be out shortly.

A few moments later, while she was still checking out the menu, she heard the server walk over.  The server spoke English, his French accent much more realistic.  "Hello, ma'am, my name is Javert, and I will be your-"  She heard the sound of a pen drop.  Looking up, she saw bright green eyes, wide with shock, a large scar from a rock above the left one. Above the eyes was blonde hair styled by an undercut.  The realization hit her immediately, and her eyes went to his hand:  where a ring once sat now was empty; a pale strip at the base of the finger was all that remained.   _He returned it; he found his happiness..._  Feeling the tears sting at her eyes, she looked back at her server's face.

"Chat," she whispered, "Adrien, I'm so sorry."  She stood up, holding him as she cried, letting the two years of regret come out in her tears as Adrien held her back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here I am posting at 2 in the morning (woo EST). Why? CAUSE I HAD THE ENDING ALL SET BEFORE I STARTED WRITING ANYTHING DEAR LORD I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE THIS FOR AGES!  
> Who knew a group of ladybugs was called a "loveliness?"  
> Also, sorry for the minor psych lesson; I'm a psych major and love that kinda stuff.  
> If you don't know why he named himself "Javert," then you're not my friend (not really please don't go).  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.

**Author's Note:**

> "Alone. That's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and Hell is a poor synonym."  
> -Stephen King, _'Salem's Lot_  
>   
>  Til next time.  
> Peace.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Curse of the Black Ring](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11818683) by [SheWhoWillRise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWhoWillRise/pseuds/SheWhoWillRise)




End file.
